Six locations are in the running to be the permanent headquarters for the U.S. Space Command, Stars and Stripes reported Thursday.
The Air Force named the finalists as Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, Port San Antonio in Texas, and Redstone Arsenal in Alabama, the news outlet reported.
A final decision is expected in early 2021.
''The Department of the Air Force evaluated each location and will now conduct both virtual and on-site visits at each candidate location to assess which location is best suited to host the U.S. Space Command Headquarters,'' Ann Stefanek, a spokeswoman for the service, told Stars and Stripes.
''This assessment will be based on factors related to mission, infrastructure capacity, community support, and costs to the Department of Defense.''
The home base for Space Command will house about 1,400 military and civilians, the news outlet reported.
SpaceCom, established in August 2019 to oversee and control the U.S. military’s space-based infrastructure and operations, has been temporarily housed at Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs.
Air Force officials expect it could take about six years to build the facilities necessary to house U.S. Space Command once a location is chosen, Stars and Stripes reported.
Space Force, like all military services, is headquartered at the Pentagon and is led by Gen. Jay Raymond.
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